Fill Your House for Free-Episode 4

July 31, 2014

We’ve been away for a few days, technology and wi-fi free, in a friends caravan, so I missed this week’s episode of Fill Your House for Free.
BUT via the wonders of modern technology, I have now caught up on 4OD, so here is my little round up of some of the brilliant re-use and upcycling projects the team got up to this week.

The Piano
How could I not start by talking about the piano?!Max McMurdo did a great job upcycling a donated baby grand piano into a ‘statement’ piece bookcase.

Photo:from a screen shot of Fill Your House for Free

It’s perhaps not the sort of job you would undertake on your own lightly (or at all!) but there are some very cool piano upcycles ‘out there’ on the internet. Needless to say, I have created a Pinterest board dedicated to them!
How about a wall mounted version of Max’s creation, like this one here

Vintage Suitcase Dog Bed
Kirstie herself did a great upcycle of an old vintage suitcase, a piece of faux leather from an old sofa, and a fabulously funky sleeping bag, and turned them into a super cute dog bed!This is something that I reckon all of us could do at home, and Kirstie talks us through the steps in the show (starting at about 27mins in, if you are watching again!)

Sewing Machine Table Shelving Unit
Max McMurdo did another ambitious upcycle, and turned a beautiful old Singer sewing machine table into a storage solution.
It is the featured ‘How-to’ on the website this week.

Again, I’m not sure this is something that I would attempt at home, even with the video to help, but it does look pretty cool!

Stencilling on fabricLee Baker shows the couple on the show how to re-vamp their plain blinds with some simple stencilling.
It looked really effective, and if it’s inspired you to have a go, then there is a great tutorial here on tatertots and jello

Textured Rollers
These got a very brief mention on the show, when one was used to paint one of the rooms.The Painted House are a UK based company that sell these ingenious patterned paint rollers, in a variety of gorgeous designs. You can use them on plain walls, to give the effect of wallpaper, or even on fabric.The Makery , near me in Bath have cottoned on to just how fab they are, and have started doing classes showing you how to use them, and get the very best from them. I am sure there are lots of other places doing similar things, so have a look!

I think that next week may be the last episode in the series *sobs quietly*, so DON’T MISS IT!!